Teresa Lewis remembers her uncle serving as a Salvation Army bellringer each holiday season. His outreach efforts have always inspired Lewis, a Certified Design Estimator with Benham, a Haskell Company, to volunteer her time.
Today, Lewis rings bells for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. She also has been involved in Habitat for Humanity building days, Canstruction, a local food bank, and the annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. Each month, she leads a Benham team in providing hot meals for residents of the Ronald McDonald House.
“I like to help people,” Lewis said. “I usually end up taking the lead.”
Her philanthropic efforts were one of the reasons that Lewis has received Haskell’s Living the Values Award, given quarterly to three team members who consistently demonstrate the company's core values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.
Haskell offers four hours each month for team members to volunteer with the cause of their choice. This benefit aligns well with Lewis’s giving spirit. She recalls her family always being willing to help others during times of financial strain.
According to Lewis, the value is simple: “Treat others how you want to be treated.” The Golden Rule has served her as a volunteer and in her work with clients.
Involved in estimating nearly every Benham design project, she works closely with design teams to determine project requirements and estimating metrics. She plays a vital role in ensuring that project designs stay on track and within budget.
She makes it her mission to be honest, to treat clients well and to do work to the best of her ability in hopes of winning repeat business. She recalled the time that she and her colleagues faced a large administrative building renovation project that was over budget.
Lewis and a project manager worked long hours to accommodate the client by creating different options – a construction shopping list to address the client’s needs and wish list – that would get them closer to their budgeted amount.
“The client was really appreciative of our super long hours,” she said. “They gave lots of kudos. It was really nice that they were so appreciative.”
Kelley Hayes, Lead Interior Designer with the Government Design Division, nominated Lewis, saying, “Teresa is a team player, a problem solver, and a self-motivated individual who works tirelessly to make any project a success. Teresa is a perfect candidate for the Living the Values award because she consistently displays Haskell’s corporate values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust with commitment and passion.”
Lewis, who is from the OKC suburb of Edmond, has been a dedicated member of Benham since 1983, when she joined the secretarial pool. Since then, she has served in many roles, joining the estimating team after obtaining her estimating certificate from Oklahoma State University.
Going back to school to earn her certificate felt like a natural next step for Lewis, who said construction is “in her blood.”
“My dad owned a paint store. My brother became an electrical contractor. [This industry] has been in the family a long time,” said Lewis. “I’m a stick-with-it person. I come from a long line of people who stay with the same thing.”
Lewis celebrated her Living the Values award with her colleagues and her daughter Sydney, 33, whose attendance was a surprise.
Lewis said, “It just made me feel really appreciated. For the most part I feel appreciated, but this just reaffirmed it.”
Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing company that encourages and enables its team members to give back to their communities.
